Lindblad’s eight-day adventure, Exploring the Sea of Cortez: A Living Sea and Desert Isles, showcases Baja California’s remote cactus-studded islands, legion seabirds, and legendary UNESCO Marine World Heritage site. Called the “the world’s aquarium” by none other than Jacques Cousteau, the Sea of Cortez is the habitat of massive dolphin pods, more than half a dozen whale species, mobula rays with surfboard-size wing spans, and many hundreds more species of jewel-tone fishes and sea creatures. What better setting for holiday swimming, snorkeling, and paddleboarding, or exploring sea caves by kayak or Zodiac?

In Costa Rica, National Geographic Quest makes a six-day winter voyage, Wild Costa Rica Escape: Exploring Guanacaste’s Natural Wonders, focused on the national parks and nature preserves along the Pacific Coast. Immerse yourself in these intact ecosystems on nature hikes, trail rides, and river excursions via Zodiac. Take a dip in a steaming hot spring or swim beneath a misting waterfall at the foot of a volcano. Or how about holiday ziplining through a stunning forest canopy. Chattering parrots, screech owls, and twittering capuchins add to the party ambience on land. Offshore, you can exchange season’s greetings with sea turtles, parrotfish, octopi, and trumpetfish amid inviting waters averaging over 80°F.

Another option in the holiday spirit, Lindblad’s eight-day sailing, Costa Rica and the Panama Canal, pairs jungle and island exploration with a canal crossing, plus a visit to the Smithsonian Research Institute and inspired opportunities to learn about and participate in sea turtle conservation and wildlife tracking. Watersports include snorkeling off the hidden gem of Isla Coiba. Topside fun ranges from forest walks to horse riding to photography workshops. And then there’s all the monkey business: Meet howler, spider, capuchin, and squirrel monkeys in famed Corcovado National Park, home to 140 mammal species and 370 bird species.